Study Finds Internet Of Things Vital To Future Of Transportation And Logistics Industry

The survey showed that 90 percent of transportation and logistics companies either have or plan to deploy IoT solutions within a year.

Linconshire, IL-based Zebra Technologies Corporation, a distributor of products and services that provide real-time visibility into organizations' assets, people, and transactions, recently released survey results that found 96 percent of transportation and logistics companies agreeing that the Internet of Things is the most strategic technological initiative their organization will undertake this decade.

The survey, conducted in October of 2014 by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Zebra Technologies, showed that 90 percent of transportation and logistics companies either have or plan to deploy IoT solutions within a year.

Other key points from the study include:

  • More than half of respondents expect IoT to improve regulatory compliance (51 percent) and delivery processes (51 percent). More than four in ten expect IoT to help their companies improve safety (45 percent), recognize cost efficiencies (44 percent) or improve their supply chain visibility (44 percent).
  • Wi-Fi, security sensors, near field communications (NFC) and real-time locating systems were cited as the most important technologies for enabling IoT implementations.
  • Nearly 40 percent of respondents listed privacy and security concerns as the largest challenge for IoT implementations, while 38 percent mentioned implementation complexity.
  • Zebra released global findings on IoT adoption across many verticals and industries, surveying IT and business decision makers from nearly 600 global firms.​

"The survey findings demonstrate exactly how important IoT is to the T&L industry," said Jim Hilton, Zebra Technologies senior director, Global Manufacturing Principal. "IoT solutions provide operational and actionable data on the location and condition of tracked objects which will help improve the customer experience, create new revenue streams, enable competitive differentiation and promote workforce collaboration."

Zebra Technologies converted the study findings into the infographic below:

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